Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 11:27 a.m.

Former Assumption High and Louisiana Tech offensive lineman Jordan Mills is expected to be drafted in the Top 100 picks of this year's NFL draft, which begins on Thursday in New York.

AP file

Becoming an NFL player in a few days will do that for a fella.

"If I walk outside and people pass by they will honk their horns or stop and talk to me," Mills said. "Sometimes they scream my name, so it's an exciting time."

Mills, a former Assumption High School and Louisiana Tech offensive lineman, is expected to go in the Top 100 of this year's NFL draft. Round 1 is 7 p.m. Thursday from New York and Rounds 2 and 3 begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Rounds 4-7 begin at noon on Saturday.

Mills (6-foot-5, 316 pounds) is back home to watch the draft with family and friends, and he could go on either Friday or Saturday, which is making the time leading up until the draft pass extra slowly.

For Mills, the clock can't turn fast enough.

"Now I'm at home just waiting on Thursday," Mills said. "Mondays usually go by fast and Wednesday is usually here in a hurry, but it's going by slow right now."

After the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, Mills, a four-year starter at Louisiana Tech, continued to perfect his skills at Michael Johnson Performance in Dallas and also had his Pro Day before getting back to working out and coming home.

Mike Detillier, an NFL draft analyst who lives in Raceland, originally had Mills as a fourth-round pick, but now said he could go as early as the third round.

"He is the best big man to come out of here since (former Thibodaux High, LSU and Detroit Lions standout) Eric Andolsek. It's easy to see that. He's played right tackle, but he could also play left tackle at the NFL level," Detillier said. "He is a big man with quick feet, and that's the first thing that jumps out at me. I don't care what position it is, if I watch a player's feet, and they can move, they can play in this league."

Mills said he has no idea where he will be picked or which team will choose him.

"I have no clue right now," Mill said. "The past three or four days I have been getting phone calls from a lot of teams. My agent was like ‘Every time I get off the phone with somebody another team is calling.' I don't know where I'm going. That's the nerve-racking part about it."

Detillier said just about any team could take Mills, and though he has worked hard to get better in his run blocking, he may fit better in a passing offense, which he excelled in at Louisiana Tech.

"His best fits are passing teams like New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints," Detillier said. "But he just wants an opportunity and understands what it is all about. He can play this game at a certain level, and I thought he did an outstanding job last season playing on a good football team (at Louisiana Tech)."

Detillier said the buzz surrounding Mills really began during his time with the Bulldogs and at the Senior Bowl.

"Whenever he played at Tech and at the Senior Bowl, he played at a high level, and he showed that he deserved to be at the Senior Bowl," Detillier said. "He showed a nasty streak at the Senior Bowl almost like his agent whispered in his ear to play like that. He turned out to be a real physical guy at the Senior Bowl much more than at Tech, and maybe that was because of scheme."

Detillier also said Mills has the intangibles to play in the NFL.

"He is an outstanding prospect that plays with a lot of heart and desire to be the best that he can be," Detillier said. "I think he knows how to play this game at a certain level for a guy who did not have a lot on his résumé as a high school football player."

With so much happening so quickly for Mills he has not had to look far for some helpful advice. He is cousins with Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams, also an Assumption High product.

"I talked to Tramon a couple months ago, and he said to just take it one step at a time and take it slow because everything is going to hit you fast," Mills said. "He said just grind and work hard every day and take care of yourself."

And how will Mills feel this weekend when he hears his name and officially becomes an NFL draft pick? Even Mills himself isn't sure.

"I have no clue," Mills said. "I know I won't be in shock because I kind of know it is going to happen, but it's going to be happiness and joy. From being a little kid watching the draft, to hearing my name called in prime time, there is going to be nothing like it. I can't wait."

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